I am living proof that nature promotes great mental health. Now, if you are not a fan of the outdoors, then this blog is possibly not for you—but if you love nature or want to find out how it can benefit your emotional wellbeing, then please read on. At the end, there is a short video about forest bathing, which I cannot recommend enough.
All through my life, I have loved the natural world. From carrying around a worm for hours to sitting patiently with a tiny stick tapping the edge of a cobweb on a dry stone wall, waiting for a spider to emerge, nature has been a massive part of my world.
Growing up with David Attenborough, I’ve seen most, if not all, of his programmes since the end of the sixties. This has given me a wider general knowledge of flora, fauna, weather, climate, and different ecosystems.
I grow vegetables and lots of plants that attract insects. There are various nymphs soon to take flight in my wildlife pond, and I’ve downloaded different apps to identify plants and critters and to recognise birdsong. iNaturalist is a great app, and so is Merlin. Here are the links:
https://uk.inaturalist.org
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if my ancestors were forest dwellers or lived by the sea. I am drawn to these places time and time again.
Nature is where I practise mindfulness and enjoy meditation. As an avid cloud gazer and sunset chaser, I also search for fractals—repetitive patterns in nature like bracken, fungi, lichen, fossils, and succulents. Storms make me sleep like a baby, and collecting hoards from beaches and the forest floor goes back to my hunter-gatherer roots.
So, what has nature done for my mental health, and how can it help you?
When I feel stressed, I head for the sea. For me, sitting on a rock and gazing out to the horizon is incredibly grounding. I can feel my nervous system quieten, my heart slows, and my breathing returns to normal. I become transfixed on the way the sea changes and feel hypnotised by the colours and movement of the water. Taking long barefoot walks along sandy beaches is amazing.
In 1991, I went up to Amble in Northumberland and swam with a wild thirteen-foot bottlenose dolphin called Freddie. The fishing boat which dropped me to where Freddie was swimming motored about 200 yards away. I was alone in the freezing North Sea (wearing a dry suit) and spent fifteen incredible minutes with this otherworldly creature—one of the best experiences of my life.
Enjoying nature and getting brilliant benefits for your mental health can be easy with just a bit of planning. If you have children, you may find yourself in parks and woods or by the sea often. Can you spend some time alone for a bit of well-deserved self-care?
Preparing for time in nature is key—making sure you are dressed for the weather and the surroundings you are heading to. In a backpack, it’s good to have a flask of something hot or some water, a waterproof small mat to sit on of any sort, your phone fully charged, and decent boots or wellies.
This is not an experience to be rushed. Giving yourself time for nature is important. I remember being so busy with life one spring that I barely had any time to even walk out of the door. I could wake up earlier though, for the dawn chorus, so I spent a heavenly few mornings getting up an hour earlier than normal and ventured outside just to marvel at the birdsong. Learning the different calls and songs is quite a challenge. Apparently, learning three birdsongs per year is a great way to become a would-be ornithologist!
Trees are a marvel of the natural world and so is the fungi that grow beneath them. Recently, I went on a five-day rewilding retreat at Moor Barton Woods on Dartmoor, and one of the big highlights was making friends with a particularly beautiful beech tree that was completely covered in soft, fuzzy moss. The roots at its base made perfect cosy seats.
After giving my tree a big hug, I nestled into my mossy seat, stretched out with eyes closed, and listened to a wonderful guided meditation from our host Emily. Coming out of the meditation, I felt incredibly calm and so grateful for the healing trees surrounding me.
I am ADHD, and this means I spend my life often at top speed. It’s hard to slow down time and to just be. Boredom is also something I struggle with. Being in nature is not boring for me, and this is the place I can slow down time. I do it by focusing on my breathing, making sure my out breath is longer than my in breath—counting to four for the in breath and eight for the out breath.
With eyes closed, I use my hearing sense to focus on the different sounds in my natural environment for about a minute. Then I take in the different smells. In the woods, sitting on the ground, the aroma is amazing—moss, earth, decaying matter—and when in a pine forest, the heady scent is cleansing and clears my sinuses. Getting your hands in the ground matter or brushing them along soft bracken or prickly holly is lush.
A passing comment by a close friend when I was recently in the New Forest has changed my life. I was pointing out the different plants and birdsongs, and my friend asked me why, when I was so passionate about nature, did I not follow it as a career? I answered that I chose human nature—but it made me think.
Turning 60 in March, I can’t believe that I haven’t spent more time in nature when it has always been a special interest of mine, so I made a pact with myself that this year (at the very least) I would partake in all sorts of different natural pursuits. So far, I’ve been to the Isle of Skye, the New Forest, and the rewilding project on Dartmoor. I’ve taken part in a bat count, which was fascinating with all the specialist equipment and hearing the different sounds of the bats, slowed down so the human ear can recognise the species.
I’m heading over to Heal in Bruton with the hope of volunteering for their rewilding event, coming up in June, and have joined local nature and walking groups locally in Frome, Somerset: https://www.healsomerset.org.uk/events/into-the-light
During COVID, I offered walk-and-talk therapy in the countryside, which was very successful, and I’m looking at more opportunities for therapy in nature, so please watch out for future plans.
Nature and great mental health go easily hand in hand. If you would like to book therapy sessions to find out more and to see how this can benefit you, then please fill in the contact form, and if you like the idea of walk-and-talk therapy locally in Frome, then I can offer this around Rodden Meadow and The Dippy.
Love nature and learn to love yourself. Have a fresh start in any season. I’m listening…
🎥 Watch this short video on forest bathing – a simple practice that can calm the mind and support emotional wellbeing. I highly recommend giving it a try.